Madam and the Stable Keeper (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7

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“And I’ll assign someone to accompany you—take a look around Viscount Portrion’s garden. You’ll be staying here for the time being, after all.”

“…….”

“If you stay cooped up in your room, the second and third madams will grow suspicious, Edith. Feel free to move freely around the mansion.”

Edith could see straight through Sophia’s intentions. It was obvious the woman was going to great lengths to establish her as the official lady of the house.

“Madam Sophia is the only daughter of a provincial noble family. I heard they were once quite influential in their region.”

These nobles, through and through, tended to look down excessively on those they deemed beneath them in status.

Most of the people who demanded house calls from the already overworked clinic were exactly this sort—those who couldn’t afford elegance yet refused to let go of their pride.

Because the late emperor had been a notorious womanizer, he left behind many children, and it was common for minor provincial nobles to back insignificant princes as emperor—only to be ruined when they chose the wrong side.

“Who would have guessed that the fourth prince, born to a frail young lady—the last descendant of a baronial house—and the emperor himself, would kill the crown prince and the other princes to become emperor?”

Having fallen from grace overnight through such events, most of these disgraced nobles became rigidly proud, as if denying their downfall.

To Edith, Sophia was no different at heart.

“She sees me not as a person, but as a tool to achieve her goals.”

It was clear Sophia didn’t even consider the possibility that Edith might pretend to go along with her plan—lured by vast wealth—while secretly plotting her escape.

Since Sophia was even offering jewels as emergency funds for her eventual escape and giving her opportunities to go outside to find a chance to flee, Edith saw no reason to refuse.

“I’ll do that. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Then shall we get up now?”

Sophia rose from her seat with a satisfied smile. As Edith stood up, she suddenly realized she hadn’t heard an important piece of information.

“Um… but how is Viscount Portrion’s condition?”

“Condition? Ah—”

Only after hearing Edith’s question did Sophia recall something she’d forgotten because she deemed it utterly unimportant.

“He suffered a serious head injury and still hasn’t regained consciousness. His personal physician says he’ll barely make it past Harvest Thanksgiving. It’s truly unfortunate.”

“…….”

“That’s why you must conceive a child as quickly as possible. Only once you announce your pregnancy will others believe it.”

Having said that, Sophia got up from her seat.

Watching her, Edith thought to herself—Sophia clearly didn’t care one bit about the viscount’s well-being.

“I heard the viscount’s first marriage was an arranged one with someone whose face he’d never even seen. How ironic that these two ended up so perfectly matched.”

Sophia sent over several dresses she no longer wore and a few pieces of jewelry to Edith’s room.

“So House Portrion may have fallen, but they’re still a viscountal house, it seems.”

The clothes and jewelry Sophia provided were rather lavish—unfamiliar opulence to Edith, who was accustomed to spending her days in the clinic or the study.

Vivian followed in, carrying a jewel case.

“She sent some outdated accessories as well. You can probably use these however you like.”

Though the beautiful gems might have tempted others, Edith merely glanced over them and calmly said,

“Then could you call the maids I asked for, Vivian?”

“Yes. It’s a good time—there’s quite a bit of clothing to organize anyway.”

Soon, Vivian brought in two maids who both met the specific conditions Edith had mentioned earlier.

“My name is Ann, madam.”

“I’m Marie. Please feel free to call me by my name.”

Edith stared intently at Ann and Marie, as if memorizing their faces, then spoke.

“Could you both help me organize the clothes? Once Vivian brings the dresses in, Ann and Marie can arrange them inside the dressing room.”

Though not particularly old, Edith had started working at a very young age and often had to manage people who began their work much later than she did.

Thanks to this, adopting the demeanor of a suitable superior came easily to her.

The dressing room was located at the innermost part of the bedroom. Out of their mistress’s sight, Ann and Marie sorted through the clothes and jewelry Vivian handed them.

Just as Edith had planned, the two naturally took in how much the fourth madam possessed.

Vivian hung the garments in the dressing room, wondering what Edith’s intention was in requesting maids with such specific conditions.

“I’d prefer maids who’ve worked in the mansion for a while and have families of their own. Of course, they shouldn’t be among Sophia’s closest confidants, and they must be discreet.”

It didn’t take long to figure out the purpose behind these conditions.

“Shall we take a short break?”

Edith asked Vivian to brew tea using the tea set in the room.

Hearing the fourth madam instruct them to use plenty of tea leaves since there were four of them to serve, Ann and Marie began forming impressions of her character.

“She doesn’t seem noble at all, just as rumored. If she were trying to hide that, she’d likely act overly stiff instead.”

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“Jane told me she was supposed to be authoritative, but she doesn’t seem that way. She even includes us when saying ‘our’ tea—maybe she’s still unfamiliar with proper hierarchies?”

To Ann and Marie, Edith appeared refreshingly unpretentious.

Put kindly, she wasn’t domineering; less kindly, she seemed confused about how a viscountess should properly treat her subordinates.

“And this… would you take it, if it’s all right?”

Halfway through their tea, Edith offered a pair of pearl earrings that looked damaged and unwearable.

“For us?”

“Yes. The maid named Jane who came yesterday seemed to dislike me, but you two didn’t.”

Looking at the single earring placed in their hands and Edith’s gentle smile, Ann and Marie exchanged subtle glances.

“Is she lonely, with no one she knows in the viscount’s mansion?”

“It’s a bit awkward, but this…”

They accepted the pearl earring with words of thanks—just as Edith had anticipated.

“Jane is Madam Sophia’s favorite maid, after all. She probably isn’t used to serving other madams and made a mistake.”

“We’ll apologize on her behalf.”

Vivian noticed Ann and Marie’s demeanor growing noticeably warmer and understood Edith’s intention.

House Portrion’s finances were so dire that employees had once staged a mass walkout—and these maids even had families depending on them.

“Indeed, a single pearl earring isn’t burdensome at all and would be easy to sell.”

Moreover, Ann and Marie had just personally witnessed that Edith possessed quite a few outdated accessories she was considering discarding.

Clearly, Edith had chosen to gain information through small, thoughtful rewards rather than risk betrayal by trying to buy them off with large sums.

“If I don’t eat, they say I’ll be locked in some tower as punishment… Is that really true?”

Edith casually asked something she’d been curious about, and Ann and Marie, their guard lowered somewhat, readily answered.

“That’s probably just an idle threat. There’s no such tower in the viscount’s mansion anymore.”

“Nowadays, it’s just something older staff members say to scare new hires.”

Edith carefully wove together their conversation and her own curiosity.

“I see. With House Portrion short on staff as it is, even if there were a tower, there’d be no one to lock away.”

“Oh, there is someone, madam—you just don’t know the staff well enough yet.”

“There’s Walter, the stablehand—he once charged at the master with a drawn sword.”

“He did that and is still just a stablehand?”

Edith feigned mild disinterest as she probed further. Thanks to the warm tea and the pearl earrings, Ann and Marie relaxed into easy chatter.

“Yes. That’s why there are all sorts of rumors among the staff—some say he’s the late viscount’s illegitimate child, others claim the current viscount kidnapped a sorcerer’s son to use as a bodyguard.”

“How unusual…”

“But he’s surprisingly fair-minded. If any staff member is treated unjustly, he’ll take their side—and everyone knows the master never punishes him for it.”

Authoritative yet just, and possessing a presence strong enough to command others’ attention.

Edith gradually pieced together the image of Walter in her memory with the tidbits Ann and Marie casually revealed.

That evening, following Sophia’s suggestion, Edith’s schedule included touring the expansive gardens of House Portrion.

When it was time to leave her room, Vivian—who’d been sent earlier to the garden at Edith’s request—knocked on the door.

“I’ve brought the flowers you asked for, madam. Shall I arrange them in your room?”

Edith examined the bouquet Vivian held out—bluish petals and thorny stems. They were unmistakably Ilbicus flowers.

“Vivian, these are Ilbicus flowers. The Empire’s most widely used contraceptive lozenges are made from an extract of this flower’s stem.”

“Really? They’re so common in gardens…”

“People look for finished products, not raw ingredients. And it only works if steeped in very hot water for about two minutes. Normally it’s grown just for ornamentation—I didn’t realize it could be used like this.”

Vivian sighed as she watched Edith steep the flowers in hot water and drink it down in one go.

Clearly, this sharp young lady knew exactly why Sophia had suggested a stroll—hence asking for flowers with contraceptive properties.

“Shall I ask Madam Sophia to postpone the walk? It looks like rain is coming…”

“Vivian, don’t worry. Could you dry the remaining Ilbicus stems by placing them between the pages of a book?”

Edith rose calmly from her seat—she hadn’t given up entirely without a plan.

“This should be enough to make the man assigned by Sophia change his mind, at least for a day.”

She had brought along several gold coins Sophia had given her.

She’d heard the monthly wages of mansion staff and clinic assistants were similar—so offering six months’ worth of pay in gold while asking him not to lay a hand on her would surely make him compliant.

“Sophia undoubtedly gave that man more orders than just showing me around the viscount’s estate.”

With mixed feelings, she descended the stairs and saw the man awaiting her under Sophia’s orders. He held the reins of a white horse, his build and face obscured by a rain cape.

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“Could that man possibly be…”

Edith hurried down the stairs.

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